What Do We Determine in the Initial Assessment?
It must be made clear who can grant which right in the commercial rights of a sport. The rights of a club, an athlete, a federation or a broadcaster do not replace one another. By defining the medium, territory, term and type of content separately in the contract, the limits of use and payment are set.
Sponsorship, advertising and commercial partnerships
Sports sponsorship requires a detailed regulation of visibility, right of use, performance, exclusivity, brand safety and termination risks.
Scope of services:
- Sponsorship agreements of clubs, athletes, federations and organizations
- Jersey, pitch, arena, stadium, naming and category sponsorship
- Brand ambassadorships and social media collaborations
- Advertising content, the approval process and visibility obligations
- Exclusivity, competing brands, morality clauses and reputational risks
- Performance criteria, postponement, cancellation and force majeure
- Reviewing betting, alcohol, tobacco, financial product and other restricted advertising categories
- Sponsorship disputes and claims for compensation
Broadcasting rights, media, digital content and piracy
Broadcasting rights can cover live or recorded broadcast of a competition, highlights, clips, archives, radio, data, digital platforms and regional rights of use.
Scope of services:
- Broadcasting rights license and assignment agreements
- Provisions on exclusivity, geographic region, platform and term
- Rights in match footage, data feeds and statistics
- Licenses for digital platforms, social media and short-form content
- Piracy, unauthorized retransmission and content removal processes
- Disputes over broadcast interruption, technical quality, advertising inventory and revenue sharing
- Press access, accreditation and conditions of media use
Trademarks, licensing, merchandise sales and personality rights
Club crests, names of organizations, athlete brands and commercial products are protected by the rules of industrial property, copyright, contract and unfair competition. The commercial use of an athlete’s name, image, voice, signature and personal story must be regulated separately.
Scope of services:
- Registration and protection of the trademarks of clubs, leagues, organizations and athletes
- Agreements for licensed products, jerseys and memorabilia
- Use of an athlete’s name, image, voice and other personality rights
- Licenses for video games, collectibles, digital assets and content
- Disputes over counterfeit products, trademark infringement and unfair competition
- Infringements involving domain names, social media accounts and digital platforms
- Processes for interim measures, preservation of evidence, content removal and compensation
Esports and the digital sports ecosystem
Esports includes, in addition to the structure of sports clubs and teams, the rights of the game publisher, tournament licenses, player contracts, platform conditions, broadcasting, sponsorship and digital asset relationships.
Services in this area:
- Esports club, team and player contracts
- Tournament organization and game publisher licenses
- Broadcaster, content creator and platform agreements
- Provisions on prizes, revenue sharing, transfers and termination
- Disputes over cheating, account use, discipline and tournament eligibility
- Child players, broadcast duration, advertising and consumer transactions
- Personal data, cybersecurity and digital harassment policies
Competition law and sports markets
The central sale of broadcasting rights, league and federation decisions, player mobility, agency, commercial rights and exclusivity arrangements can have effects under competition law.
In this area:
- Reviewing decisions of federations, leagues and clubs from the standpoint of competition law
- Exclusivity in broadcasting, sponsorship, ticketing and license agreements
- Restrictions in player transfer and agency regulations
- Allegations of dominant position, discrimination and market access
- Investigations and applications before the Competition Authority
- Review of the applicability and proportionality of international sports regulations
Limits of Use in the Contract and the Exit Plan
Live broadcast, highlights, short clips, social media and archive use should not be treated as the same permission. The fact that an athlete’s image can be used in one campaign does not automatically permit another campaign or a digital product. The removal of content at the end of the term, the archive exception and permissions given to third parties must be regulated clearly.
In the event of the cancellation of an event, an injury, a change of team, a sanction or an allegation of reputational harm, the consequences for payment and termination are clarified in advance. In esports, the rules of the game publisher, the tournament conditions and the account and content rights are separately reviewed. It is not assumed that an athlete or a team can assign rights it does not hold.
Our Approach in This Area
By reviewing the chain of rights and the authorization documents, we determine which uses can be licensed. In a draft contract, we compare the provisions on payment, approval, exclusivity and termination; in a dispute, we organize the evidence of use and loss.
As Güneş & Güneş Law Firm, from our Antalya office we plan files across Türkiye according to the conditions of jurisdiction and representation. Acceptance of the matter, fees and separate expenses, and the method of keeping you informed are determined in advance. For matters with a foreign element, communication is available in Turkish, English, German and Russian; the need for local representation in a foreign country is assessed separately.
Information Needed at the First Meeting
Prepare the sport, your capacity as a party, the contract and, if there is one, all pages of the decision. Mention the notification record and the date of the upcoming competition, transfer or defense in your first contact. File-specific documents, secure sharing and the method of representation are clarified at the meeting.